


Spider-Man: Endangered Species

by Spideyfan62



Series: Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [2]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Because Someone Much Smarter Than Me Should Handle That, Everything Else Happened Though, F/M, I'm new at this, I'm so sorry, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23267386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spideyfan62/pseuds/Spideyfan62
Summary: When Peter heard this he about dropped to the floor right there: A chance to listen in person to the brilliant Dr. Curtis Connors? Possibly even MEET him? “Yes sir, thank you sir,” he finally managed to stammer out, “I cannot tell you how much this opportunity means to me.”“You’re welcome, Mr. Parker,” his teacher replied. “Also, you are permitted to bring one person with you. I hope you enjoy yourself, Peter. You deserve it.”OR: The story of how Peter meeting one of his science idols goes horribly wrong and how he will put it back together again, while doing the same for himself along the way.
Relationships: Betty Brant/Ned Leeds (background), Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761355
Comments: 59
Kudos: 41





	1. The Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Peter heard this he about dropped to the floor right there: A chance to listen in person to the brilliant Dr. Curtis Connors? Possibly even MEET him? “Yes sir, thank you sir,” he finally managed to stammer out, “I cannot tell you how much this opportunity means to me.”   
>  “You’re welcome, Mr. Parker,” his teacher replied. “Also, you are permitted to bring one person with you. I hope you enjoy yourself, Peter. You deserve it.” 
> 
> OR: Peter meeting and befriending one of his science idols will definitely NOT go as planned and he has to overcome a deadly adversary while working through some of his own issues along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> Nothing like a global pandemic to bring out a new hobby, right? This is all new to me, so while I am excited to write it, I am open to any comments, so please feel free. Well, here it goes!

“Almost there,” Peter told himself as he fired another web line. He was not going to be late for school; not this time. He did not have the best track record to start his senior year, being late 5 days in the 1st month already. Ever since his return from Europe, he had committed to being Spider-Man whenever he was needed, which had been, well, a lot. It had been before school, after school and sometimes even during school. Today, he had already had to stop a mugging and rescue a construction worker on the verge of plummeting to his death, but he was still making good time, when…

“We have a vehicle pursuit in progress. Any available units please proceed to 42nd and 1st.” 

“I knew this would get me in trouble” he told himself, referring to his decision to link up his new suits interior system with the police broadcast. The good thing was that it allowed him to hear everything. The bad thing was it allowed him to hear…well, everything. Immediately, he fired a web and tightened it to make a sharp left. It wasn’t far; he could still make it if he hurried. 

In a short couple of minutes, he had caught up to the runaway car, quickly assessing the situation: 1 vehicle (a rather expensive looking new model Porsche that he would likely never be able to afford), his suit was detecting only two heat signatures, and only 1 police car in pursuit. That last part was no surprise; even all of this time after the Blip, New York had still struggled to meet the demand for new officers. Some who had filled that role beforehand decided upon coming back that it wasn’t for them after all, and the force had still not yet covered. 

Acting quickly, he got close enough where he could fire a web line onto the back of the car, immediately yanking himself forward with one pull so that he landed on top of the car. “Spider-Man; Shoot him!” he heard one of the guys inside say. 

“Woah, you guys are almost at time travel speed! I’m almost sorry I have put an end to it” he said, quickly pulling the passenger out of his seat (“Criminals NEVER wear seatbelts”, he thought) and firing a web so that he would hang from a nearby streetlight. He quickly proceeded over to the driver, performed the same feat of quickness and precision on him, and then back flipped gracefully behind the car, firing a web out of each hand onto the back of the car and pulling tightly, stopping the car in a matter of seconds. Peter let out a quick sigh of relief. 

“Thanks Spidey; we’ll take it from here.” 

Thankfully Peter had developed a positive relationship with some of the police force as Spider-Man. A lot of the time they were antagonistic towards him, but he was grateful for those he had been able to win over. “No problem officers. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere I needed to be 2 minutes ago.” 

By the time Peter showed up to first period Chemistry, he had already missed 15 minutes of class, which did not go unnoticed by his teacher when he came through the door. “Mr. Parker,” the man said with a very annoyed expression and tone, “take your seat please.” 

“So sorry sir; the subway was really slow today” he offered, which by now did nothing to gain any sympathy from his teacher; no explanation did anymore. Thankfully, his usual seat was open next to the person who would simultaneously show give him the most grief while also being the most understanding. 

“Glad you could finally join us”, M.J. said in a whisper laced with her usual sarcastic undertone. How did someone fit so much sarcasm into their daily speech anyway? “What was it this time?” 

“I’ll explain at lunch.” Peter said, finally glancing in M.J.’s direction to see her looking at him with what he can only describe as the most bored yet most enduring expression that made him feel all funny inside. Seriously, how did she do that? By now, they had been dating for around 2 months, so not very long, but she still managed to keep him on his toes mentally with everything she said and did. He was becoming more and more convinced that he was never going to fully understand her and he was just fine with that. She had also been surprisingly understanding about his super heroics. Every time he had to break a date or suddenly disappeared, he could tell it bothered her, but she had been strong for him, and he was grateful. He just hoped he was doing his best to make sure she knew that. 

The rest of the school day went pretty smoothly: Peter and M.J. had been assigned chemistry lab partners for the year, and they had worked very well together; after that was a few more classes, then lunch, where Peter was joined by both M.J. and Ned and of course received the most recent news in Star Wars, Legos, M.J.’s latest murder mystery documentary, and Peter’s Spider-Man exploits from this morning. The last class of the day was Biology, which Peter and Ned shared. Mr. Bendis was his favorite was his favorite teacher so far this year; Peter had often wished that he had been the 1st period he ended up with. He knew how to make biology exciting, as if Peter needed any help with that. Biology had always been his second favorite field of science behind only physics and that had only increased since he got his powers. 

The final bell rang and Mr. Bendis dismissed everyone, but then spoke up again: “Mr. Parker, may I have a word please?” This did not sound good; most of the time when the man had called someone up, it was to reprimand them. Peter had paid attention in class, engaged with questions and thoughts, was actually on time…what could he have done? He told Ned he would meet him outside in a moment. 

“Sir, whatever it is…” Peter started, only to be interrupted by his teacher gesturing a hand up to make him stop. “You’re not in trouble, Mr. Parker,” he clarified, “quite the contrary actually. I presume you are familiar with Dr. Curtis Connors and his work?” 

To say he was familiar was an understatement; Connors had been a scientist Peter had read about for years, a man accomplished in the study of both human and animal biology, particularly that of reptiles. Anyone who was anyone in the scientific community knew who Dr. Connors was! “Of course I do!” Peter realized he had let this out almost a little too enthusiastically, and his body language and facial expression shrunk back a bit to contain himself. 

“I figured as much,” Dr. Bendis replied. “He is actually finishing setting up his research lab at ESU and will be giving a tour of it for young and promising scientific minds from the best schools around Manhattan. I recommended you be among those in attendance.” 

When Peter heard this he about dropped to the floor right there: A chance to listen in person to the brilliant Dr. Curtis Connors? Possibly even MEET him? “Yes sir, thank you sir,” he finally managed to stammer out, “I cannot tell you how much this opportunity means to me.”  
“You’re welcome, Mr. Parker,” his teacher replied. “Also, you are permitted to bring one person with you. I hope you enjoy yourself, Peter. You deserve it.” 

“What was that about?” Ned asked as the two of them started walking toward the front door of the school. “Mr. Bendis was just offering me a chance to go have a tour of the new research lab Dr. Connors is setting up at ESU.”  
“That’s cool, when is it?”  
“This Friday evening; he also said I could invite someone if I wanted to. Shall I flip a coin between you and M.J?”  
“Nah, take her. I’ve got something going on anyway.”  
“Really, what?”  
“It’s…” Ned suddenly trailed off.  
“Well?”  
“I’ve just got something I need to do.” 

At this, Peter was a concerned. Ned was not one to usually be so secretive. He elected to leave it alone. He and Ned had been best friends since grade school, and they had always been able to talk to each other, and had only become closer after Ned had learned he was Spider-Man. When Ned was ready, he would come around, so they just walked and talked until they came to the street where they separated to go to their separate homes, but not before doing their secret handshake. 

“How was school today?” May asked with her usual pleasant tone as he stepped through the door. Peter gave his aunt the basic rundown: running late, how classes went, how things are going with M.J. (May especially loved hearing about that) and the invitation. “Quite an opportunity for you,” May exclaimed, “and you said you are going to invite M.J?”  
“Yeah. Ned said he had to do something, but he wouldn’t tell me what. I’m not sure what’s up with him” Peter replied.  
“Oh, he’ll spill eventually. That boy can hardly keep a secret; it’s wonder he hasn’t spilled your secret identity already!” May said. Peter let out a mild chuckle at that; Ned was DEFINITELY not the best at keeping his secrets. He had let on that he “knew” Spider-Man to their whole gym class just to try and help him with Liz, almost given away his plan for revealing his plans to M.J, had basically given him the surprise plans for his birthday party back in August…the list went on and on.

“Anyway, I’m sure you’ll have a good time Friday night” May said, waking him from being lost in thought. “You deserve it, Peter.”

That was the second time he had heard those words today, and he just could not shake the thoughts of his many mistakes these last couple of years, from unknowingly causing his uncle’s death, to Tony dying on the battlefield, to putting his trust in Mysterio, Peter had messed up left and right in some big ways. Sure, he knew that in some of those cases there was nothing he could have done. He had also been doing pretty well balancing and even coming close to excelling in both sides of his dual lifestyle these last few months: his grades were good (even if his attendance was spotty at points), he was doing surprisingly well keeping his dates with M.J. the last couple weeks and he had grown much more efficient in his crime-fighting as Spider-Man. Yet, he could not shake the feeling of failure inside of him when he looked at the larger picture: he had not been able to save Uncle Ben or Tony and he had allowed himself to be deceived by Quentin Beck. It was Beck’s words that still would ring in his head from time to time: “if you were good enough…” No matter how many lives he saved, Peter couldn’t shake those words from his mind. 

He suddenly realized he had been lost in thought too long (again), and got up from his seat, telling May he was going to do his homework. After he finished, he went out on patrol. The city was quieter than usual tonight, only requiring him to stop a mugging and a robbery attempt, which allowed him to meet simpler and less life threatening needs, like helping old ladies across the street, carrying things too heavy for normal people, etc. These were the things he loved doing most; “just looking out for the little guy” as he liked to call it. He finally realized the sun had been set for a couple hours, so he decided to call M.J.

“What’s up, dork?” she asked in her usual sarcastic greeting.  
“Oh not much, just seeing what the most beautiful young woman in Manhattan is up to this evening?”  
“You know how I feel about that” she replied with a hint of both frustration and playfulness.  
“I do. You act like you hate it, but deep down, it gets you in just the right spot.” There was a pause on the phone, and Peter could practically feel her fighting back her smile while also rolling her eyes. “I also wanted to ask, would you be up for something this weekend?”  
“A-Ha!” she exclaimed, “I knew there had to be something you wanted!”  
“Ok, first, I say that to you all the time, whether I want something or not. Second, Mr. Bendis has invited me to be a part of the tour of new research lab Dr. Connors has set up over at ESU, and he said I could bring someone along, so would you want to go, you know, with me?”  
“I don’t know, Parker; I had the craziest plans this Friday.” she said, and Peter could tell he had already received his answer. “You know, hit up all the local parties and stuff.”  
“I mean, I would hate to take you away from all that,” he said, his own voiced laced with about as much sarcasm as hers. “So, I’ll come get you at 6:30?”  
“Sounds good, and Peter?”  
“Yes?”  
“Don’t be late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the first chapter. Hope you guys liked it! Please, as I said before, I will take comments and be open to any constructive criticism to make this story and any future ones better. Everyone stay safe; you all are in my prayers during this difficult time. 
> 
> John 16:33


	2. Meeting the Doc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Good evening! I'm sure you are already aware, but I am Dr. Curtis Connors, and I'll be your host this evening. Thank you all for coming out this evening; I look forward to showing you what I, and hopefully some of you in the not-so-distant future, will be up to. I want you to know up front that I want this to be an interactive tour, so feel free to pose any questions as we move along, and I might even test your knowledge at points. Well, let's get right to it!"

Peter walked up to apartment #427, the one M.J. gave him, and rang the door bell. It had taken more coaxing to convince her to let him pick her up from her place than he thought it would. In the brief time they had been dating, he had never been there before. He didn't know why, but not having visited her home made him feel as though he still did not know much about her. He knew her dad died when she was only 7, so she only had a few precious memories of him. She had lived with her mom ever since, but M.J. had not spoken about her very much. All of this suddenly seemed to weigh on Peter; he realized just how much more he still wanted to learn about M.J. He knew who she was, but he wanted to more about what made her that way. Finally, M.J. opened the door and stepped out, gave him a quick smile and a "hi" before closing the door behind her. The tour invitation had not given any instructions regarding what to wear, so Peter had opted to wear a newer dark green button up shirt and the newest pair of jeans he had. He had encouraged M.J. to dress nice, but not too formal, so she had donned a older but still good condition dark blue dress with her usual jacket. 

In other words, she looked fantastic. 

"Ready to go?" she posed. 

"Yea, yea" he said, realizing that he had just been staring at her for an awkward amount of time. She loved calling him out on that. 

It was only going to be a 15-20 minute walk, as M.J. lived only a few blocks from the university. Nevertheless, Peter's mind returned to his earlier thoughts about M.J.'s home life, and he decided to wade into those waters just a bit. 

"So, what's your mom going to do with the place all to herself tonight?"

"She's working. She won't even be home until after I get back anyway. What's May doing?"

"Gotcha. Oh, I'm sure she's just going to try and find a good rom-com to watch. What does your mom do again?"

"She works at Oscorp. So, you excited to..."

"Woah woah, hold up: your mom works at OSCORP?? What does she do? Does she work with any fun toys? Does she work on any projects? Does she.."

"Slow down, Peter. Nothing that fancy. She just...she does some executive work. It's really nothing interesting."

Peter was getting a vibe from her that this was not something she wanted to discuss. He had been burned a couple times already by not knowing when to quit prying, so he dropped it and they moved on to other topics, like what they would be seeing at the lab, Dr. Connors' work in general, and random trivial facts about how some reptiles eat their own young (M.J. provided those of course). Still, it was frustrating that he could not seem to break through to M.J. in getting her to open up about her family more. Even so, he knew he had liked her for about a year before they finally got together, and he was willing to take it slow, even if it was hard. 

Finally, they arrived onto the campus of Empire State University, heading straight for the newly revamped research facility there. Everything was state of the art, brand new 2024 technology. Even so, Peter couldn't help but flashback in his mind to the last time he was there. It was a day that had changed his life forever: the day he got his powers. The class had been on a field trip, being led around the facility as the scientist guiding them was discussing there latest genetics work in various creatures, when it happened: a spider bit directly into his hand. Surprisingly, other than a little pain, he did not feel much until later that night, as a feeling of sickness overtook him as he collapsed in bed. He had felt better than ever the next morning. The rest was history. 

"Earth to Peter. You with me?" M.J. snapped him out of his reminiscing and they filed into the main area with everyone as they collectively waited for the good doctor. There were only about 10 people there in total: 5 students from their respective schools and a mixture of their parents/friends. Peter thought it was pretty cool that he was the only one to being his girlfriend with him. Only one other girl was there anyway, and he knew M.J. would be happy feeling that she was able to represent the ladies in the STEM community. 

Finally, their host came out to meet them. He was a man in his mid-thirties, who was a little taller than Peter or M.J. and was missing his right arm. Peter remembered reading about how he lost it: a victim of an attack by one of the alligators he had been studying, his arm had been so damaged beyond repair that the doctors were forced to amputate. Since then, the man had gone to make numerous other advances in biology and his name had been tossed around for the Nobel prize. This was the real reason Peter admired him so much: no matter what happened to the man, he continued using his gifts, seeking to benefit others. 

"Good evening! I'm sure you are already aware, but I am Dr. Curtis Connors, and I'll be your host this evening. Thank you all for coming out this evening; I look forward to showing you what I, and hopefully some of you in the not-so-distant future, will be up to. I want you to know up front that I want this to be an interactive tour, so feel free to pose any questions as we move along, and I might even test your knowledge at points. Well, let's get right to it!"

Peter liked the doc's enthusiasm; he was sure this was going to be a good time. 

Connors lead them around, showing them the new technology, but primarily focused on the various species of animals that were in the building. Coming to a large fish tank, Connors spoke up: "These are some of the most popular kinds of fish in the world: Teleosts. Can anyone tell me some things about these fish?"

Immediately, most of the students, including Peter, raised their hands. 

Connors called on them one at a time, getting various answers: they were fished for the most commercially, they could survive in both hot and cold waters, tuna and marlin were examples, etc. "Very good. These fish are survivors that thrive all around the world. Believe it or not, they can even travel on land for brief points to get from one body of water to the next. I'm sure in classic fish fashion they don't look very graceful while doing it, but it gets them from one spot to the next. My wife would tell you that's me on the dance floor, but...never mind, let's move on." A few mild chuckles were let out as they moved to the next area.

They came to an insect container, where Connors went on to describe various species and some of their unique characteristics. "Can anyone tell me the important role that these creatures play in our environment?" he asked the group. Peter's hand shot up, and he was called upon. 

"They play a vital role in the abundance of plant life and crops through pollination." 

"Correct, young man. Anyone else?"

This time, it was M.J.'s hand that went up, and it was her turn.

"They also play a strong role in the decomposition of leaves and other organic excess plant matter." 

"Yes, well done ma'am. These are just a couple of the many reasons why it is good that they are among the most prevalent species on earth, making up approximately 70% of all living creatures. Okay, now we move on to my favorite spot in the lab: the reptile section." Sure enough, they came into a section filled with all kinds of reptiles, but the doc stopped near one in particular: a container that held a frilled lizard. "Can anyone tell me what makes these animals some of the most unique of all?"

Again Peter's hand was the first one in the air. "They have the ability to shed their tails if they are attacked by a predator, then grow a new one later."

"That is correct. This makes these creatures some of the greatest survivors in the world." At this, the doc glanced down to his right side, "us humans who lose an appendage are not so lucky, but we must not let such things cause us to give up. Rather, we must let them push up to become better, to push the boundaries of science as we know it for the betterment of all humanity." This resulted in a brief applause from those in attendance. 

They continued along for a while longer, exploring more of the specimens in the facility and even trying out some of the new technology, before Dr. Connors brought them all together. He thanked them for coming while saying he was proud to share this with the bright minds of the future, then dismissed them. However, he then surprised Peter by calling him by name. 

"Your teacher spoke very highly of you, Mr. Parker, and after tonight I can see why. Your love of science and knack for tech is impressive. Who is this young lady you have with you tonight?" he said, gesturing to M.J. 

"I'm Michelle; you can call me M.J." she answered before Peter got the chance. 

"I'm glad you came as well. We need more women in the field of science. My wife is a nurse over at Midtown hospital, and I know she would be happy to see you here as well." He then gestured towards the necklace she was wearing, "also, is that a black dahlia flower on that necklace?"

"It is, Peter got it for me on a school trip to Europe last summer," she said, playing with it in her fingers and glancing over at Peter with just the smallest hint of pride in her eyes.

"Ah, you have intriguing taste. Martha, my wife, enjoys all the darker criminal shows, like Criminal Minds, NCIS, etc. It all fascinates her, though I must confess I do not understand it." He then turned to Peter again, "anyway, I'll get to the point: I actually had another purpose in bringing everyone here today, and that was to offer an internship to one of the brightest young minds around. I want that to be you, young man." 

Peter could not believe what he was hearing; was he seriously being handed an opportunity to learn from one of the most brilliant minds in the world in person?? "This will be a paid position," the doc added, "though I'm afraid it will only be part-time for a few hours a night for only 3 nights out of the week. I do not wish to distract you from your primary education at this point. Nevertheless, I believe I can make this a great learning opportunity for you, plus the cash could help with date nights I'm sure" he said, nodding towards M.J. "What do you say? 

"Well I'll need to check with my aunt just to be sure, but I would love to!!" Peter said, again probably a little too enthusiastically. The doc gave him a number to contact him at, then said goodnight to them and retreated to his office, saying he had some work to finish up while the night was still young. As he and M.J. walked out, Peter could not help but think that maybe, just maybe, things were starting to actually come together in his life again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was tricky; I had to do some research on the science end of things, so I hope this paid off! 
> 
> Again, please feel free to leave critiques or comments on what you thought worked/did not work. I am eager to learn! 
> 
> Continuing to pray as we all deal with this situation together. 
> 
> Psalm 71:1-3


	3. What Is Going On, Dude?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" 
> 
> "Yea, yea I know," Ned said, "it's just.." He was interrupted by his phone buzzing, and he took a moment to glance at the message. It clearly was not a good one, because immediately after reading it he dropped his phone on the floor and put his hands on his face. 
> 
> "What is going on, dude?" 
> 
> Or: remember that secret thing Ned had to do in chapter 1? Peter learns what it is, and is asked for advice on the last thing he'd expect.

"So, he just offered you a job, right there on the spot??" 

"Yea, man! May gave the go ahead, so I start this week!" 

Peter had spent the last hour talking with Ned about the tour from the night before, making sure that NOTHING was left out. It really did help to have a fellow science nerd as a best friend. Ned was not quite as into biology as Peter was, but he still enjoyed hearing about it, especially the parts pertaining to the new tech the facility was loaded with. For as long as Peter had known him, Ned could pick any kind of technology and almost instantly tell you how it was made and how it could be upgraded. They had spent hours working together on his Peter's Spider-Man suits, making little tweaks here and there. More recently, they had spent many long nights working together to retool E.D.I.T.H. from a weapons-controlling and invasive technology to the analysis system that Peter had in his mask that could assess environments, analyze chemical compounds, run licence plates, etc.

Suddenly, Peter remembered, "So, how did whatever it was that you had to do go?" 

"Oh, fine," Ned replied, not even making eye contact with Peter, instead fiddling with some LEGOs. 

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" 

"Yea, yea I know," Ned said, "it's just.." He was interrupted by his phone buzzing, and he took a moment to glance at the message. It clearly was not a good one, because immediately after reading it he dropped his phone on the floor and put his hands on his face. 

"What is going on, dude? Are you ok?" Peter said with his usual genuine concern. Ned sighed deeply before giving his response: "No, no I'm not, Peter. I don't know, it's just...I've been talking with Betty; you know, about, maybe, trying again?" 

Peter looked at his friend with surprise. "I thought you guys made a clean break coming back from Europe. What changed?"

"We broke up because, you know, it was a summer whirlwind romance in Europe. These things don't last, ya know? But then you and M.J. happened, and you guys have been going so strong these last couple months...I don't know man, I just wonder if her and I could have worked out too." 

Peter took a moment to process before responding: "What does she think?"

"She's not sure. I think she might be a little frustrated that I am bringing this up in the first place." 

Peter was unsure of what to say next. He was not exactly one who was very qualified to give romantic advice, but Ned was his best friend, and he felt he had to help him somehow. Even so, he didn't want to give him bad advice either. Ned's next question didn't help things. "I don't know man, what do you think I should do?" 

"I'm not sure," Peter replied, trying to find the words as he went along, "I've not been in your specific situation before." 

"Why do you think things have worked with M.J. but not with Liz? I mean, other than the fact that her dad was a super-villain who was secretly running an underground illegal weapons trade and tried to kill you...I'm sorry, probably not the best thing to bring up" Ned admitted, looking a little embarrassed for bringing up such a rough night's memory. 

"No it's ok; I've actually thought about that a lot" Peter started. "With Liz...she was my first crush, yes, but...if I'm being honest, looking back, it seemed kind of...shallow? Anytime I was around her, I was so focused on how pretty she was, I could not seem to think of anything else. Being around M.J....I noticed things. I mean, she's really beautiful too, but I notice it in so many ways. Her passion for those who do not have a voice, her love of all things dark and mysterious, the way she lets just a little bit of a smile show through when she is trying so hard not to give me the satisfaction...I just noticed so much with her. I found myself paying attention to what she was drawing and I began to put together how these things expressed her personality. I think what I am trying to say is that my feelings for M.J. just feel deeper, more real than they did with Liz. Does that make any sense?" Peter asked, feeling as if he had just been rambling the whole time. To his surprise, it looked like his best friend felt a lot better. 

"It makes perfect sense. Thanks, man; that actually does help a bit." 

"What are friends for?"

"Maybe you should go into relationship counseling?" Ned said, half-joking, but also with a little seriousness to it. 

"Are you kidding? I felt more stressed than the time I took on the Rhino in the middle of Mott Street!" Peter replied. 

"Boys, dinner's ready!" May called from the kitchen. 

"Coming" Peter replied, then his phone went crazy. Its crime-monitoring system he had set up was telling him there was a robbery about 4 blocks from them. 

"Go. I'll tell May you'll be back in a second" Ned told him. 

Within seconds, Peter had donned his costume, gave Ned a quick thank you nod, and was diving out the window, heading to save the day again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a bit shorter, but I wanted to use this chapter to explore a little bit more of the dynamic between Peter and Ned and have them discuss some deeper subject matter. Hope you liked it! 
> 
> Prayers once more during this time. 
> 
> Matthew 6:25-26


	4. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They proceeded to go through the lab and Peter was given the rundown of his responsibilities. It was nothing too extravagant: check on some of the species in the lab, make sure that certain containers were still being set on the proper temperatures, type up some general reports on the lab's various activities at the end of the week, etc. While it would seem like low level work to some, Peter was still just grateful for the opportunity, knowing that it was an opportunity to learn and better himself towards a career in science.

Peter couldn't believe this: he was walking into his first real job! Sure, he would only be there from 5:30-8:30 P.M, and he was making right at minimum wage, but still, it was a job. He would be working in the field of science with one of the most renowned scientists in the world, a man whose every work was driven by a desire to make the world around him a better place. He found himself so wound up as he approached the door that he took a moment, and a breath, before pulling open the door to the facility.

"Ah, Peter! Come on in" Dr. Connors greeted him warmly. He appeared to be analyzing something through a microscope, but he quickly put away whatever it was before Peter got close enough, coming over to greet Peter instead. "I'll make sure not to over do it on your first day, but I want to give you a more in-depth rundown of the equipment and what you will be doing here. First thing's first though: do you have the papers I needed you to sign?" 

Peter took off his backpack and pulled out the employment papers the doc had emailed him for both him and May to sign and return in order to finalize his employment. While it was quick reading, this was one thing Peter was looking forward to more of as he became an adult. Sometimes staying a kid sounded nice, but senior year as a whole was giving him a growing realization that that time in his life was coming to a close. 

"Everything seems to be in order; I'll make sure these get to who they are supposed to" Connors stated, setting the papers down on the table right next to him. "Now, on to the fun stuff." 

They proceeded to go through the lab and Peter was given the rundown of his responsibilities. It was nothing too extravagant: check on some of the species in the lab, make sure that certain containers were still being set on the proper temperatures, type up some general reports on the lab's various activities at the end of the week, etc. While it would seem like low level work to some, Peter was still just grateful for the opportunity, knowing that it was an opportunity to learn and better himself towards a career in science. He had done a lot of great work as Spider-Man, but he had wanted to use his gift for scientific understanding to make the world a better place long before he was donning spandex and leaving thieves in webbing for the police to come pick up. This was his first step toward making that dream a reality. 

When Connors had finished showing him around in regard to his responsibilities, he suddenly looked as if he remembered something. "Oh, Peter," he let out, "I almost forgot, there is something I want to show you. Follow me." The doc turned and walked towards his office, Peter following just behind. They walked in and Connors lead them toward something in a glass display case: an alligator tooth. 

"Is this from..." 

"Yes, Peter: this is a tooth from the alligator that took my arm from me." 

"Why....why would you want to hold on to something like that?" Peter questioned.

The good doctor thought a moment before replying: "Because I don't want to forget. Having the "limitation" of one arm has pushed me to accomplish so much more than I ever could have before. I have had the opportunities to push the boundaries of science, and myself. You see, Peter, ever since that day, I realized that we have two choices in life: we can be defeated by our mistakes or we can use them as a springboard to greater things. It was not an easy choice, and it took me a while to really understand what it would mean for me, but I came to realize something: men and women who can do that are...well....let's call them an endangered species." 

"I think I know what you mean, Doctor" Peter said, taking it all in. He knew what it meant to have to bounce back from failure: the death of his uncle, his initial encounters with the Vulture, Tony's death, everything involving Mysterio....it had taken him quite a long time as well. Still, hearing something like this from someone else, even if it was from a different context, was....nice. In a way, Peter felt as though he was not so alone anymore in his experiences. 

Both men then heard someone come through the door. "Curt, I brought your dinner!" 

"Ah, my favorite. Thanks, honey," Connors said, then, as if realizing he was being rude, excused himself, "Oh, sorry about that: Peter, this is my wife, Martha. Martha, this is Peter Parker, my new intern I told you about." 

"Yes of course! It's nice to meet you" the red-headed, thin woman exclaimed, extending her hand for Peter to shake. "Curt has told me what he can about you so far. So, what do you think?" 

"I think I will like it here. It's nice to meet you as well, ma'am. The doc tells me you're a nurse?" 

"Yep, over at Midtown General. Well, I'm sorry that I can't stay, but I've got to get home and put Billy to bed. He NEVER falls asleep without his bedtime story! See you at home, dear" she said, her and the doc giving each other a quick peck on the lips. 

"Thanks again, dear. I'll be home a bit late tonight, as usual." 

"Of course," she said. "Maybe one day you'll tell me what this secret project of yours is." 

"When it is ready, dear," Connors replied. With that, his wife was on her way. 

"You better get home too, Peter. It is a school night, after all, and I won't have your teacher calling me about working you to the point of falling asleep in class after your first day!" 

"Yes sir," Peter replied. "See you Wednesday, Doc." 

"Have a good night, young man." 

After he left the lab, Peter went out on patrol for about an hour, doing a general looking-over of the city. Once he felt satisfied with how quiet it was, he returned home, where May had some leftovers from the night before reheated for him. She was always good about feeding him, but it had taken even her a while to adjust to how much he needed to eat once he got his powers. Though it became much easier once she found out. She asked him how his first day was, and he did not leave out a single detail: the tech he would be working with, the animals he would be looking over, the reports he would be doing....everything. 

"You even got to meet Dr. Connors' wife? Was she nice?" May inquired. 

"Yea, she was" Peter assured his aunt. "He was discussing his incident with me and, even though he didn't say, I got a strong feeling she helped him during that time." 

"You and M.J. have already had a little practice with that, haven't you?" his aunt inferred. Peter hadn't really thought about it in that way; he had just been grateful to hang out with her in the aftermath of the London battle. 

"I've seen how much...happier you are since you two got together. You think she's still handling your double life well?" 

If Peter wasn't still so happy just to be with M.J, he would get annoyed by his aunt's constant changing the subject to her anytime she could. As it was, he was more than happy to indulge her, because he could also indulge himself. 

"Yea, she's been great" he said. "I just hope I have been doing my best by her." 

"I think you have," May reassured him. 

"I hope so..." Peter trailed off. He was remembering their conversation and his awkward attempts at trying to ask her about her family life, her awkward attempts at changing the subject...the whole thing had just been awkward, even if it could have been a lot worse. 

"Peter, you're doing it again," May said, referring to his clearly being lost in thought in a manner that indicated something was bothering him. "What is it?" 

"I don't know May, it's just....I know her, but I know next to nothing about what made her that way, you know? Her parents, a lot of her childhood experiences, there just isn't a lot there that she's shared yet. I know I need to wait and be patient and let her talk about it when she gets comfortable, it's just...I want to know HER." 

May came and sat down at the table across from him. "Peter, look at me" she said, drawing his line of vision from the table to her. "You just said exactly what you need to do: let her tell you in her own time, when she's comfortable. I know it is not easy, dear, but you have to let these things take time. Rushing your relationship with her is just going to end poorly for you." 

"I know," he replied, letting out a small smile. 

"Peter, you care about her a lot, right?" his aunt asked. 

"Of course I do" Peter said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"And you think she still cares about you, right?"

"Yes, May." 

"Is that enough for right now?" 

Peter took a second to think about her question. It did frustrate him a little that M.J. was not opening up faster, but it still paled in comparison to the privilege he considered it to be dating her. She was such a special, unique individual to him, and he loved every moment he got to spend with her. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more ridiculous he felt he was being. Finally, he answered May's question: "Absolutely." 

"Then just continue to enjoy your times together," she encouraged him, "and be willing to be the first one to open up. I know you have been doing that already since she found out your secret, but you may have to continue to do that in order to earn her trust more." 

"Okay" Peter said, getting up from his side of the table. It was already getting towards 10:00 and he still had a lot of homework to do. Before he started up the stairs to his room, he turned to his aunt again. 

"Hey, May?" 

"Yes?" 

"Thanks" he said, a sincere smile of gratitude on his face.

"You're welcome, Peter." May said, smiling back at him. 

He went to his room to begin his homework, but before he got started, he decided to call M.J. He pulled out his phone, found her contact, and hit "call". 

"Hey, dork," came her usual snarky-with-love greeting, "don't tell me you need help with a literature assignment again. I know you're not as into Shakespesare as I am, but..."

"No no, nothing like that," Peter interjected, "I just...I just wanted to say something." 

"Okay," M.J. said, a little apprehension in her voice. 

"Look, I know you're not a fan of this sappy stuff, but I just really felt like I should say this: you are so special to me. Every moment that I am with you makes my day better; I could have been trashed while on patrol, lost the respect of New York while I was at it, and seeing you...it would make it all worth it. I guess I just...I want you to know how much you mean to me." 

There was silence for a moment, and Peter began chastising himself under his breath for being so awkward with his words. Would he get better at this as an adult? Then, he heard what he swore was sniffling, and finally she spoke up.

"Thank you, Peter. I just....I guess I really needed to hear that" she said, her voice sounding a little quaky. "Not that I doubted you did or anything, I just like reminders, not that I need them, I mean.." 

"I get it. No need to explain." he said, smiling to himself. 

"Okay good," she said, trying to sound more like her more usual confident self again. 

"Anyway, I've got to finish my homework. Have a goodnight, M.J." 

"You too, Peter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is becoming even more fun than I thought it would be! I'm grateful for all the views and those who have subscribed, left kudos etc! Hope that I can continue to develop this story well! 
> 
> My prayers for all during this time. 
> 
> Luke 22:39-44


	5. M.J. & May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Alright, well, do you have any other questions or need anything before you go? I can drive you if you want." 
> 
> "No thanks; I should be good," M.J. replied, and she turned to leave, but stopped at the door. She hated to admit it, but her conversation with Peter while they were on the way to Dr. Connors' lab tour was still stuck in her head, and her first encounter of the day with the lady getting her coffee was only making her self-reflection worse. She was not trying to be mean, but was her holding back about her family and life hurting Peter? He had looked disappointed when she kept changing the subject, try as he did not to show it. Maybe May could give her some advice? Would she just side with Peter and try to get her to open up? This was all so confusing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a brief break from Peter's perspective. I wanted to have a chapter focused on M.J. and her building a relationship with May and doing some things on her own. This chapter is from her perspective. 
> 
> Next chapter will pick back up with Peter again.

M.J. walked up to the community center, but stopped just short of opening the door. She hated to admit it, but she was a little nervous. Okay, A LOT nervous. She was more than aware that she didn't have the people skills to qualify for something like this, especially if her family and school lives were to be examined. Still, she had wanted to find a way to help people in need, and Peter and May both had encouraged her to try volunteering here and see if she liked it. May had told her that she would make sure she would greet her and help her out on her first day, and remembering that gave her the last bit of courage she needed to open the door and step through it. 

"Glad you could make it, M.J." May greeted her warmly. 

"Yea, thanks for letting me come here" she said, still a little nervous. Still seeing May helped give her some peace of mind. 

"Let me show you around the place, then we'll get started" May said, gesturing for M.J. to follow her. They went through the various parts of the property: the gymnasium, the kitchen, the lounge area, the offices, the playground....May left no place unseen. "So you have any idea where you want to start?" May asked. 

"Uhmmm...how about the lounge area?" M.J. replied.

"Perfect. A lot of the older folks that gather there enjoy having young people come and visit. I have to attend to a couple of things; why don't you start by just getting to know some people, familiarize yourself a little bit, and I will be back to check on you as soon as I can."

"Got it." M.J. replied. 

"Let me know if you need anything." May said, and with that, she turned around and headed down the hall. M.J. turned to face the room, took a little breath, and walked in. If she was good at anything, it was observing her surroundings, so she decided to put that skill to use. She first came upon an older woman, who was trying to refill her cup of coffee, but was having trouble steadying her hands to pour the refill. She walked over to the woman, put on her best smile, and spoke up: "Excuse me, would you like some help with that?" 

"I can handle myself; I don't need some young person's help" the lady snapped, barely managing to pour her refill without spilling it. That hurt more than M.J. thought it would. She was just trying to offer to help, and she understood the need to try and do some things herself, but why did the lady have to be so mean? Her thoughts then wandered back to herself: did people see her that way? She wasn't really mean to be people, but she had made such a habit of being independent and doing it all on her own, partially because she had to, but also because it was easier. Is this what she might become? 

She stopped herself right there; she was not going to let one bad encounter kill her morale. She turned and looked around the room again, this time noticing an older woman sitting by herself. M.J. walked over and noticed the lady had a sketchbook and a pencil lying on the table in front of her. Maybe drawing was something they would have in common. She walked up to introduce herself.

"Hello." she said, again trying to be as warm as possible. 

"Why, hello young lady," the woman said, turning face M.J. directly. "Nice to see you." M.J. was almost taken aback by how much more welcoming this woman was than the first one. She decided to continue: "I couldn't help but notice your sketchbook there. Do you draw?" 

"When my arthritis isn't acting up. There's something...peaceful about it, ya know?"

"I do." M.J. replied. "Are you trying to draw anything in particular today?"

"Actually, I was wanting to draw a picture of my late husband. He passed away a couple of years ago. Photographs are nice, but...drawing has always made things stick with me. My arthritis is acting up today, so I am having a hard time. I'm sorry, where are my manners: please, have a seat." the lady said, gesturing towards the other chair across from her at the small table. M.J. went over and sat down.

"Listen, I know it isn't the same, but...I could draw a picture of him for you, or of something else at least." M.J. offered. "I've been drawing my whole life, so I've gotten pretty good."

"That would actually be wonderful," the lady said. "I can describe him to you, if you think that's enough to go off of." 

"Sure" M.J. replied, grabbing the notepad and pencil, and she went to work. The lady left out no details: he was tall, had long arms, brown hair (before it had turned grey, anyway), brown eyes, ears that stuck out a little more than normal, and he was missing one of his front teeth from a fight he got into as a boy. After about 10 minutes, M.J. turned the notepad over to show the lady her finished work. 

"Oh, young lady, you did a great job! You are really talented." the woman said, offering a sincere smile of gratitude. "Thank you so much. Tell me, what's your name?"

"Michelle, but you can call me M.J." she replied. 

"M.J? May Parker's nephew's girlfriend?" 

"That's me." M.J. replied. 

"It is so nice to meet you. Peter hardly stops talking about you when he visits. I'm so glad to finally meet you in person. You're just as beautiful as he described." At this, M.J. did the best she could to hide the sudden shade of red threatening to overrun her cheeks. "Thanks" was all she could manage to get out. Still, she spent the next 20 minutes talking with this lady, discussing her late husband, their mutual admiration for Joan of Arc (whom the woman was named after, apparently), and how much school had changed in the last 50 years. M.J. finally decided to get up so she could try and meet some more people. "It was so nice to meet you" she said to the lady. 

"The pleasure was all mine," Joan replied. "Please, feel free to come see me anytime you want. I visit here quite often." 

"I will" M.J. replied. 

She spent the rest of her day meeting more people and getting familiar with the place as a whole. She discovered that she enjoyed helping some of the young kids with their homework, especially the girls. Before she knew it, the 3 hours she was there for were coming to an end. She went up to May's office to tell her that she was leaving. "Thank you again for this opportunity; I really had a good time today." 

"Good, I'm so glad to hear that," May said excitedly. "I hope that means we will be seeing you around often?"

"Definitely." 

"Alright, well, do you have any other questions or need anything before you go? I can drive you if you want." 

"No thanks; I should be good," M.J. replied, and she turned to leave, but stopped at the door. She hated to admit it, but her conversation with Peter while they were on the way to Dr. Connors' lab tour was still stuck in her head, and her first encounter of the day with the lady getting her coffee was only making her self-reflection worse. She was not trying to be mean, but was her holding back about her family and life hurting Peter? He had looked disappointed when she kept changing the subject, try as he did not to show it. Maybe May could give her some advice? Would she just side with Peter and try to get her to open up? This was all so confusing. 

"Is everything okay?" May's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she found herself coming back into the office, closing the door again. 

"Well, actually...I was wondering if I could talk about something, just woman to woman?" she said, more nervousness than she cared for coming from her words. 

"Sure" May said, gesturing for her to have a seat on the chair across from her desk. M.J. walked over and sat down. How was she supposed to even start this conversation?

"I...I don't know if this is even appropriate of me to ask, but...did Peter talk about me when he got home the night of the tour?" 

"M.J, he always talks about you. What is this about? You can tell me only as much as you want to." May's words were reassuring, so she proceeded. 

"It's just....there are things about my life that I want to tell him, that I want to share with him, but....I've just buried a lot of these thoughts and feelings for so long. I don't mean to say that I don't trust him, it's just..."

"I think I understand more than you know," May said. 

"Really?" M.J. said, somewhat confused and encouraged at the same time. 

"I met Ben, Peter's uncle, when I was your and Peter's age. Not long after we started dating, I found myself agonizing over how much to share at what times. Having gone through that, the best things I can tell you are these: you have to do it in your own time, and that you will find there is strength in vulnerability. It is easier to keep things to yourself, but it takes strength to allow yourself to be vulnerable, especially before a guy. I hope that helps." 

"I think so," M.J. replied, "thank you May. I don't...my mom is busy a lot, you know with work, so I don't have someone really to turn to for this stuff." 

"You do now," May replied with her trademark smile, though this one was less beaming and more gentle. "You ever need anything, you let me know." 

"Promise." 

"Good, and remember: it has to be on your time. Only you will know when you are ready to share parts of your life with Peter."

"I will, thank you again, May." With that, M.J. walked out the door, beginning the trek home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! It was a different challenge to write M.J. from her own perspective, but it was a lot of fun as well. I enjoyed her character in Far From Home in particular, so I wanted to dive into her head space a little bit and play around with what makes her a great character. 
> 
> Hope you all are doing well and staying safe! Continuing in prayer for everyone. 
> 
> Psalm 34:1-5


	6. Secrets Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Connors was not one to leave formulas in places they didn't belong, so why was this here? As he walked closer to the desk, he noticed the computer was already on; he had always had to turn it on himself before. Peter walked over, thinking maybe this was all part of some research the good doctor had intended for him to read for personal study. Connors would often give him various scientific journals or articles on specific theories or discoveries, so it didn't seem like too far of a stretch. The title on the computer changed his mind."
> 
> LIZARD DNA FORMULA 3.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is the longest one yet, because there was so much I wanted to make sure happened in order to set up the rest of the story. Hope you all like it!

"Hey, Peter," Dr. Connors called from the main area of the lab, "when you are finished, come out here please. I have some good news for you!" 

"Be out in just a minute Dr. Connors! Just proofing the report" Peter called out from the office. Once he was satisfied with his most recent report on the lab's activities, he saved it and went out to meet the doc. 

"Peter, how have you liked working here?"

"I've really enjoyed it. I feel like I have learned so much!" Peter exclaimed. It had been about a month since Peter started working under Dr. Connors. Even in that short time, the doc had come to trust him with more responsibility. When he started, for instance, Connors had instructed him to check and make sure that the temperature of the fish tank and some of the other small animal environments were what they needed to be. By now, he had been trusted to tweak and make the proper adjustments to ensure that it was working instead of just reporting any issues. 

"Well, I feel the same way," Connors stated with a proud smile on his face. "You have excelled in every task I have ever assigned and you clearly have both the gift and the desire to learn science. I have also been checking in with your teachers to make sure that your grades have not suffered because of this, and your teachers all report that you have continued to make excellent grades. Peter, I have discussed with my superiors, and they agree: we would like to bring you on all 5 days of the normal work week, Monday through Friday. What do you say?" 

Was the doc really offering him MORE time in the lab? Peter could not believe his luck of recently: he had actually been able to be on time to both school and the lab for the most part, he was making good grades, he had a great girlfriend, and how he was being offered more work? "Absolutely!" Peter exclaimed, before correcting himself: "Well, technically I need to check with my aunt first, but I would love to!" 

"Perfect," Connors replied. "Well, check with your aunt and let me know on Monday. Have a good weekend Peter." 

"Thanks, you too Doc!" Peter said, practically bouncing out of the door in excitement. 

Of course, May did give the all clear (while making sure to remind him that he needed to be ready to step back if he was overextending himself), so he reported the good news to Dr. Connors as soon as he got in the lab on Monday. Things continued to go really smooth as Connors continued to entrust him with more responsibility. He even got to work directly with the doc in testing various animal samples for study. Connors would often quiz him or have him make his own deductions when examining things, which Peter really enjoyed, because it pushed him to make observations and deductions the classroom could never fully teach. He also had taken the doc up on his offer and had brought M.J. to the lab more than once. The doc was not hesitant to take her under his wing as well, treating the two of them as equals when she was there, which Peter knew she appreciated. 

The longer Peter worked there, the more respect and admiration he gained for Dr. Connors. After Tony died, Peter had felt lost, then he had met Quentin Beck, and....well, he didn't need to remind himself how that turned out. Bottom line, Peter was hesitant to truly let someone be a mentor figure after everything that had happened the last couple of years (snap time not counting). Sure, he was excited to work for Connors, but he did not count on letting him in as much as he did. The man was just so endearing, friendly and happy to share in his knowledge that Peter could not help but look up to him. Another month later, and things were going as well as ever. 

However, it was around this time when Peter began to notice some changes in the good doctor: he had been looking more and more tired recently and he did not talk about things he did with his wife and son very much. He initially figured it was probably that Connors was putting more work in at the lab; he had talked about some "personal projects" he was working on, but never went into more detail. Then, he started to find the doc asleep at his desk, and he became even more concerned that the man was overextending himself. Connors had shared stories about his many late nights he had throughout his career and even all the way back in college, but Peter couldn't shake the feeling that this was something different. 

One day, Peter walked into the lab at his usual time, but he could not find the doc anywhere. He went to the office of the lab and put his backpack down in its usual place, and decided to get started on the duties he knew he would need to do. However, before he walked out of the office, something caught his eye: there looked to be some kind of green formula on the desk. Connors was not one to leave formulas in places they didn't belong, so why was this here? As he walked closer to the desk, he noticed the computer was already on; he had always had to turn it on himself before. Peter walked over, thinking maybe this was all part of some research the good doctor had intended for him to read for personal study. Connors would often give him various scientific journals or articles on specific theories or discoveries, so it didn't seem like too far of a stretch. The title on the computer changed his mind.

LIZARD DNA FORMULA 3.0 

Connors was working on some kind of formula involving lizard DNA? Could this be one of the "secret projects" Connors was referring to? All these thoughts came rushing to Peter's mind. He knew the polite thing would have been to walk away and get to the work he needed to do, but alarms were already going off in his head, and his mind was becoming more and more flooded with concern by the second. He sat down at the computer and began to study the notes on the formula. There were all kinds of equations on the page as well. All of the notes were centered on the limb regeneration of certain reptile species and the idea of transferring this ability to humans through the injection of specialized reptilian DNA. None of it was conclusive though.

Peter debated very strongly about what he should do next: should he address the doc personally about it? Should he send himself a copy of this to his own personal email? He decided on at least doing the latter. If something like this was to go poorly, maybe with some luck he could catch it before Connors made a terrible mistake. He quickly sent the notes to his email and hit send. That's when he heard the doc come through the door. Most people would not be able to hear such a thing, because the door hardly made a sound when it was opened. He was not most people. He tried to act like he had just set his backpack down and was coming out right as the doc walked into the office. 

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry Dr. Connors; I was in a hurry because I was running a little late. I better get to testing the tanks and..."

"Peter, don't lie." Connors clearly was not fooled. Surprisingly, Peter didn't see any anger in the man's eyes, despite that he had clearly overstepped his bounds. Instead, he saw....pondering? 

"It's probably time someone knew" the doc said, moving past him and toward the computer. Peter followed over, keeping a little bit of distance between himself and the doc. He didn't feel threatened, but he still felt awkward about invading Connors' privacy like this. 

"About a year after I lost my arm," Connors started, "I began work on a secret project: isolating the gene in lizards that enables them to regenerate lost limbs."

"Wow, that's...." Peter was unsure of how to finish. The doc appeared to be watching to see how he would take this. "That's incredible. Have you had any luck?"

"Only recently" Connors answered, seeming to be a little better about this. "I finally managed to pinpoint the specific gene that makes this possible. I have been working on isolating it." 

"It sounds good in theory Dr. Connors, but...it seems like there is a lot of risk involved." Peter said, trying to be as understanding but reasonable as possible, given the situation.

"Peter, if this is successful, think of what it could mean," Connors stated, becoming more passionate. "It could heal millions of people who have lost limbs. Combat veterans, victims of accidents, they could.." he paused, seemingly coming down to earth again. "I could hug my wife again. And my son; I have never hugged my son with both arms, Peter. I couldn't properly steady him if he got on my shoulders. I want to be able to have no limitations in the things I can do with my wife and son and I want to share this gift with the world." 

"I understand all of that doc, it's just..." Peter paused. He was really not sure how to answer. He wasn't even sure what his own thoughts were right now. His headed was swirling and he was flooded with emotions: concern, sympathy, etc. "I just hope you know what you are doing. Not that I'm questioning you, it's just....there seems to be a lot of risk involved." 

"There is risk in anything when it comes to breakthroughs in science, Peter. If there was no risk, there would be no real reward." 

"I know, but if the risk is your family losing you somehow.."

"That's not going to happen, Peter." Connors said, still very composed despite being questioned so much. "I assure you, I am taking all the necessary precautions." 

"Yes sir." Peter replied. He wanted to say more, like how he was concerned for the doc's relationship with his family since he was clearly spending all of his free time on this. It was all making sense now, all the times that he had found Connors asleep in his office, it was because he was working late on this. However, he still didn't feel it was his place to push the subject anymore, and the doc seemed firm in his stance, so he went to his first task. 

The rest of the time in the lab was filled with silence. Peter went promptly from task to task, doing them well like he always did, and finally gathered up his things to tell the doc goodnight. 

"Peter, I'm sure you know this, but I would appreciate you not telling anyone about what we discussed today." The doc wasn't threatening; rather, he looked almost like he was pleading. 

"Of course sir." Peter replied with a smile, and then he walked out the door. 

Peter had tried to get going on his homework for an hour now, but it wasn't coming to him. He couldn't concentrate, not with his mind still swirling with thoughts and concerns. He kept telling himself that Dr. Connors was one of the most brilliant minds in the world and that, if anyone could pull off something like this, he could. The man was finally going to win the Nobel Prize he deserved. Millions of lives would be changed. None of this was consoling him though. He finally put away his homework and pulled out his laptop to open his email. He opened the file he had sent regarding the doctor's work, examining it more closely. He began toying with the equations, trying to see if he could figure out exactly the results in conjunction with the various notes with them. He was so focused that he was actually surprised that he hadn't known that he had a visitor coming to his room until he heard a light knock on his already open door. 

"Hey dork," came M.J.'s usual greeting. 

"Hey M.J, I apologize, I have been working on a...project" Peter said, closing his laptop. 

"Is it something for me?" M.J. teasingly inquired, not letting slide his quick hiding of what he was doing. 

"What? On no, sorry M.J; it's just...something that I am working on for a friend. They have asked me to keep it private for now." 

"Oh, gotcha. Well, you ready to tackle that 1,000 piece puzzle we've been wanting to get to? Bet I can put more pieces together than you." M.J. said, summoning up her most confident, proud face she possibly could. 

"You're on!" Peter exclaimed, doing his best to challenge her confidence. Since they started dating, one of their favorite hobbies was doing puzzles together. While often times they could be competitive like this with one another, most of the time they just sat and worked together, fitting the pieces together. These were some of his favorite times with M.J: just sitting there, working on there teamwork and just talking about...anything. 

She turned to head to the living room of the apartment and he got up to join her there, when it something hit him: what if he treated the equation more like a puzzle? He promptly sat down and opened his laptop again, looking at where he left off. Suddenly, it seemed to click; he began working the equations in conjunction with the notes instead of treating them like separate things. After just a couple minutes of tweaking some things, Peter arrived at the conclusion. 

It wasn't good. 

"You coming, loser?" he heard from the living room.

"M.J, get in here!" 

She had made her way there quickly, but by the time she did, he was already in his Spider-Man outfit, minus the mask. 

"Listen, I need to run to the lab. Something bad might be about to go down. I'll be back as soon as I can" Peter said, putting his laptop and a change of clothes in his backpack. He really hoped Connors would forgive him for basically stealing from him, but he had to show him what he found out. 

"Peter, what's going on?" M.J. asked, getting more and more concerned. 

"I don't have time to explain. I have to stop Dr. Connors."

"From what?" 

"From making a terrible mistake." With that, Peter was out the window. 

He made it to the lab and landed on the ceiling. He planned to quickly change and and go down the side of the building when no one was looking, when it happened.

His spider-sense went off. 

Something was wrong. 

"Oh no," he said, dropping his backpack and electing to get in the building as Spider-Man from the ventilation system. He made his way to the lab. When he arrived, he saw that the lab had been trashed, yet he saw no immediate threat. None of this was making his spider-sense let up. Nevertheless, he had to go in and make sure the doc was...okay. He exited the ventilation area and jumped to the floor in the center of the lab, where he could see basically everything. Looking around, there seemed to be nothing, but his spider-sense was still going off. In fact, it was the strongest it had been. He looked up, and saw something he used to only believe was a thing of the movies: I giant Lizard, larger than an average man, with a long tail, particularly noticeable claws on it's hands, and the most yellow eyes he had ever seen. Also, it had on a lab coat and pants that had been torn. 

He was too late. 

"Doc....Dr. Connors?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has finally happened! 
> 
> Hoping to continue posting every 2 days or so; stay tuned! 
> 
> My prayers with you all during this time of uncertainty. Stay safe and healthy everyone! 
> 
> Psalm 10:14-18


	7. Doc, Are You In There?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Doc, are you in there?" Peter asked. The only thing he got in response from the man-turned-giant lizard was a pounce, which Peter missed, if only by a centimeter. Whatever was human in the good doctor was no longer there; he was pure animal and instinct now. Therefore, until he could come up with some kind of plan, he was going to have to treat Connors with the necessary force it took to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this is where the violence warning comes into play.

"Doc, are you in there?" Peter asked. The only thing he got in response from the man-turned-giant lizard was a pounce, which Peter missed, if only by a centimeter. Whatever was human in the good doctor was no longer there; he was pure animal and instinct now. Therefore, until he could come up with some kind of plan, he was going to have to treat Connors with the necessary force it took to stop him. Peter still didn't want to hurt him too much if he could get away with it, but he knew he couldn't hold back. He jumped forward from the floor, matching the Lizard's own jump into the air, somersaulting over it at the last second so that his feet kicked into its back. Not even a second later, still in the air, he fired a string of webs at the creature, pinning it to the wall. It roared and struggled, but the webs held fast. Peter had never been more grateful for one of his many upgrades to his web formula as he was right now. 

"Sorry Doctor, but you're going to have to stay there for a moment." Peter jumped down and went over to examine the area that appeared to be where Connors had first taken the formula. He was about to use the system in his mask to see if he could pick up any traces of the formula, a chemical signature even, and analyze it, when his spider-sense went off again. He turned around to see the Lizard lunging at him. He was proud to see that his webs were still intact. The chunk of the wall that he had been attached to was a different story. 

Peter jumped out of the way again. The webs were still keeping the Lizards arms contained, so maybe this was the time for a proper offensive. He jumped toward the Lizard this time, intending to come down and hopefully deliver a hit to the back of the head that, with any luck, would actually knock it out. That's when the Lizard unleashed his secret weapon: his tail. Bending over to the side, it swung its tail around Peter, looping around his midsection a couple times. It was squeezing him so hard that he felt like he couldn't breathe. Doing a full 360, the Lizard spun and let go of Peter, flinging him into the wall, momentarily knocking the air out of him. As he struggled to regain his breath, the Lizard wasted no time, lunging for him again. Peter only barely jumped to the side in time. He fired his webs repeatedly, aiming for the legs of the creature. Even without its arms, the creature jumped out of the way of his various attempts to pin it down again. It swung its tail at him again, but this time Peter grabbed onto it with one hand, sticking firmly in place for a second before firing a web line at the wall directly ahead, pulling forward and slamming his feet on top of the Lizard, sending it face first into the floor, its face breaking clean through. The only thing this succeeded in doing was making the creature even angrier than it already was. It quickly straightened its back legs and used them to pull its head out, then sank its teeth into the webbing around its chest region, finally breaking free of the webs that had kept it bound. 

"Uh, that's not good" Peter said underneath his mask, because OF COURSE it would find a way to break its arms free! He knew now that he was going to have to keep his distance from the Lizard as best he could. The creature lunged at him time and again, but he barely managed to stay one step ahead of it, throwing some of the more expendable equipment at it when he could, but nothing seemed to even phase it. He knew all of this was only buying him time; he needed to come up with a real plan, and fast. The problem was, he had never had to think THIS on the fly before. He had faced people and aliens alike that possessed greater speed and strength than he did, but this...Connors had transformed into a creature of pure instinct, a beast that appeared devoid of any human thoughts. This wasn't some run-of-the-mill villain who would give him time to recover by giving a speech about their evil plan or gloat in an apparent victory. This was a creature who seemed to have only one thought right now: kill. 

In all of this thinking, Peter didn't realize that he had slowed up just enough that the creature got another shot at him with its tail, making sure it counted. He was hit on his left ribs, slamming into the wall again. He was hurting more and more, but he couldn't let up, not even for a second. He quickly forced himself back up, moving away from the Lizard's next attack. He wasn't quite fast enough, as the creature grabbed him by the ankle, throwing him clean through the window this time. Thankfully, he had been sent flying so much that he now had some time and space to operate, grabbing a lamppost and spinning around it, coming to rest on it facing the same way he was thrown. 

The good news was, they were now out in the open, which played into his mobility and web-swinging. The bad news was also that they were out in the open...where civilians were. Sure enough, a college student from the main campus came walking by which caught the Lizard's attention. Peter fired a web, pulled himself hard, kicking the Lizard so far that it went straight through the lab's wall, leaving a giant hole. 

"Get out of here!" Peter screamed, the wide expression on his mask lenses conveying the imminence of the danger. The student immediately went running in the other direction. 

Turning again to face his opponent, who was already back outside and charging toward him, he squatted, waiting for the right moment. When the Lizard was within only a few feet of him, he fired a web at the creature's face, blinding it. This gave Peter the time he needed: he went to work quickly, webbing both of its arms and legs and trying the webs to nearby streetlights. The Lizard was left with its legs and arms sprawled out, and he closed the creatures mouth with a web to hopefully keep it quiet. With his opponent seemingly contained, Peter began trying to think through who he should contact. In this form, Connors was going to have to be contained until a cure could be produced. However, he was left with a lot less time to decide than he hoped for: the Lizard struggled so mightily that it had completely torn the lampposts out of the ground. The creature clawed at its face, pulling the webbing off, then started wildly swinging the lampposts around. They missed him, but they were making a mess of anything around, creating a lot of noise too. Peter knew that it would only be a matter of time before the police were drawn into this, and that would only end badly for Connors or, more likely, them. 

Moving quickly, Peter went in for a direct hit on the creature, but THAT TAIL came into play again, wrapping around him again, but this time, it just held on tightly. With this new time afforded it, the Lizard bit into the webs again and tore them from his wrists, then used its newly freed hands to slash the webs from its ankles. Peter then felt himself flying straight down into the ground, then again, then again. He was becoming more and more exhausted by the second and barely managed to fire his webs and pull himself out of the creature's reach and onto the roof of the lab. The distance between them didn't last long, as the Lizard raced up to the roof in no time. Despite his spider-sense, Peter could not get out of the way fast enough this time. The creature pinned him down on the roof with one arm and with other struck forward to sink its claws into Peter. With only one arm free, he struggled to hold the creature off, and finally the claws sank into his midsection, slashing deep cuts across his abs. 

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!" he cried out in pain. The Lizard was about to attack again, but Peter fired a web at the creatures face again, blinding it once more. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Peter forced himself up quickly and put all his strength into a punch that went straight into the side of the Lizard's jaw. The impact was so hard that it actually jarred a couple teeth out of the mouth of his opponent. As the Lizard staggered back in pain, Peter quickly grabbed its tail from behind and flung it off the roof. He didn't even get a chance to let go, as the tail of the creature detached itself from its body, dropping the Lizard to the ground. Peter quickly dropped tail, then just barely managed to observe the creature escaping into the sewers. 

The adrenaline that had helped him fight through the pain was now beginning to wear off. Peter dropped onto the roof, clutching his midsection in agony. He was already beginning to bleed out of his suit. Forcing himself up, he fired a web and took off, only one thing on his mind:

HOME!

NOW!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am particularly curious what you guys think of this chapter, because it was basically all action. Please feel free to leave any input, constructive criticism or complements alike; I would really like to get better at writing action scenes like this. 
> 
> Continued prayers for everyone. Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> Romans 5:3-5


	8. I Have To Do This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When he opened his eyes, he was in the lab again. It was in the same destroyed state he had seen it in before his fight with the Lizard. Tables were overturned, light fixtures were dangling from the ceiling, flickering on and off, and the cages of the animals were destroyed, with every creature long gone. Then, he heard an all too familiar voice: 
> 
> "If you were good enough..."
> 
> "No," Peter said, covering his ears. That was the last voice he wanted to hear right now. 
> 
> The voice of Quentin Beck.

Peter was basically a red and black streak in the Manhattan skyline has he sped towards his and May's apartment, firing web line after web line. He had stopped once to apply some webbing to his midsection to contain the bleeding, but he knew he couldn't stop again, or he was unlikely to make it to home at all. Only the pure adrenaline of the human body's survival mode was keeping him from passing out. "Just a few more blocks," he kept saying to himself, "just a few more blocks." Finally, he arrived at his apartment, just about crashing through the (fortunately) open window to his room. May and M.J. had both been in the room waiting for him to come back and they both jumped up to help him. "I was too late," he mumbled, the world beginning to grow dark around him. "I was too....too late..." Then darkness too over. 

When he opened his eyes, he was in the lab again. It was in the same destroyed state he had seen it in before his fight with the Lizard. Tables were overturned, light fixtures were dangling from the ceiling, flickering on and off, and the cages of the animals were destroyed, with every creature long gone. Then, he heard an all too familiar voice: 

"If you were good enough..."

"No," Peter said, covering his ears. That was the last voice he wanted to hear right now. 

The voice of Quentin Beck. 

"Oh yes, kid," The deceased Mysterio said, seemingly now very much alive, walking up to Peter from behind, "you did this. There were signs everywhere. I mean, come on, a scientist with a certain 'secret project' that even his wife doesn't know about!? ANYONE else would have noticed that and done something about it!" By now, Beck was practically laughing at him. 

"Shut up," Peter said bluntly, "I'm going to fix this." 

"Fix it? Beck said with a sneer. "What is there to fix? He's GONE Peter. You failed...again. First your uncle, then Tony, now this...

Peter grabbed Beck by the arms and slammed him against the nearest wall. "You don't get to talk about them!" he shouted. "The only person you ever cared about is yourself."

"Less to lose that way. You, on the other hand; the way you're going, you will lose everything. Give up kid." 

"Never." 

"There is nothing left for you to save, kid!!" Beck shouted, looking almost angry. 

"I won't!" Peter shouted back. 

"Fine" Beck said, suddenly pushing Peter off of him. "It's your funeral anyway," he said, pointing behind them. Peter turned back, and there was the Lizard, about to spring.

"At least you'll get one; it's better than what you left me" Beck said matter-of-factually. 

"Doc, it's me, it's Peter! I'm going to help you!" Peter's cries fell on deaf ears, as the Lizard seized him by the arms and stared at hims with a cold, cruel and green-eyed stare. Then he opened his mouth, preparing to devour him. 

"Peter, Peter!" came another voice. "It's okay, I'm here." 

M.J. 

It had been a dream. 

"How long was I out?" 

"Almost 3 hours" M.J. replied. He was laying on his bed while she was sitting on the side. "You passed out almost immediately after you came through the window. May and I bandaged you up as best we could. The webbing had already stopped the majority of the bleeding, thank goodness. What happened out there?" 

"I was too late," Peter started, his mind coming into focus a little more now. "Doctor Connors had been working on a secret project involving reptilian DNA, trying to isolate the gene that regenerates lost limbs. Unfortunately, it couldn't fully be isolated, and there were enough of a reptiles characteristics still in there that it changed him. He's...a monster now, M.J." 

"I'd say you're lucky to be alive after facing him" M.J. stated. "If it weren't for your regenerative healing kicking in, you would've..." M.J.'s voice trailed off. He could sense the concern in every word she said, but he couldn't let that stop him from doing what needed to be done. He forced himself up as quickly as he could, knowing that if he delayed, M.J. was likely to keep him down. 

"Where do you think you are going?" M.J. said, getting up in front of him. 

"I'm going to help him, M.J." 

"You're not going anywhere right now, Peter," she stated with an even more serious expression than her usual one that she wore around school. "You are still recovering; besides, May gave me strict instructions that while she was out getting more medical supplies I was to make sure you didn't go anywhere." 

"I have to do this, M.J." Peter stated, trying to move around her to the closet. She was having none of it, matching his step so she was still directly in front of him. 

"Why?" 

"Connors has a family, and I won't allow them to lose him. Besides, if I wait, I risk his transformation becoming irreversible. There's no time, M.J; please move."

"No." She was only becoming more and more firm by the second. "You are just going to get yourself killed out there."

"No, I'm not." By now, he was beginning to get annoyed with her. "I know what I need to do this time; I can do this." 

"On your best day, maybe, "she replied, "but not like this." 

"Let me pass, M.J." His voice was becoming deeper and more annoyed. 

"No Peter; I'm not letting you do this."

"You can't stop me." He then picked her up by her arms and moved her to his side, moving towards his closet where his extra suit was. 

"Peter, stop!" M.J. said, grabbing him by the arm, though she didn't tug, just held it. "Call one of your Avenger friends or something; they can handle this!" 

"It has to be me, M.J." 

"Why?"

"It just has to." He was getting annoyed again. 

"Why?" she repeated. 

"Because I can't fail anyone else!!" he shouted, looking her right in the eyes. The reaction he saw from her was something he almost never saw in her before: fear. It wasn't that she feared he would hurt her, but it was fear of having never seen him like this before. A fear of him being angry with her. Leaning against the wall and taking a deep breath while running his hands over his hair. He couldn't even look at her as he started again.

"I'm sorry M.J; I shouldn't have shouted. I just..." he finally looked up at her. "I can't fail anyone else. My uncle, Tony...they're gone. I accept that, but this...I have a chance to save him. All of those experiences mean nothing if I don't fix this. I'm the one most familiar with his work; I know how to undo what he did to himself. Please, M.J; I am running out of time here. While I wait, he could hurt or kill someone else and I will not let that be on my conscience." 

She looked just the slightest more relaxed as she started: "Peter, you can't let Beck run your head like this." 

"I know that," he said. "Yes, his words are something that drives me. Letting him win would be me giving up on Connors. I also think about what it must be like for his family. I had to watch Pepper and Morgan grieve over Tony, my aunt over Uncle Ben...I won't let Martha and Billy be like them. I can't." 

"Okay," M.J. said, finally relenting. "I know this is what you have to do." 

"Thank you." He asked M.J. to step outside for a second, and he donned his spare red and black outfit, checking to make sure everything what in order. 

"Peter, please: be careful. I don't want to lose anyone tonight either." 

"You won't." 

With that, he pulled her into a kiss, and for just a moment, he allowed himself to sink into her. The moment ended almost as quickly as it had begun, and next thing he knew, he was back out into the Manhattan night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was both the hardest and most fun to write so far! Hope you all enjoy it! 
> 
> Continued prayer and well wishes to everyone. Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> Romans 5:3-4


	9. Making The Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knew that he needed to find a way to work backwards: the serum had introduced Lizard DNA into the doctor's system, which became parasitic in nature and took over his body, leading to his transformation. In order to reverse this, Peter would have to concoct an antiserum that would have to be able to destroy these genes, permanently.

Finally, Peter made it back to the lab. Luckily, it appeared to be still abandoned; he had expected it to be flooded with cops, but the one witness to the events must have either been told he was crazy or actually believed he was. Whatever; he was not going to question the one bit of good luck he experienced tonight. He landed on the roof and waited for a second to see if his spider-sense would pick up on anything. When he was met with nothing, he crawled through one of the holes left behind in the wall from the battle and went to the office. He pulled up Connors' notes again and began pouring over them. He knew that he needed to find a way to work backwards: the serum had introduced Lizard DNA into the doctor's system, which became parasitic in nature and took over his body, leading to his transformation. In order to reverse this, Peter would have to concoct an antiserum that would have to be able to destroy these genes, permanently. 

After pouring over Connors' notes for about 45 minutes and running some test equations, Peter finally felt confident that he knew how to proceed. He went around the lab, assembling what materials were still intact, putting some things back together, and otherwise making do when he could. He then gathered the necessary ingredients to produce the formula. Quickly throwing together something like this was not new to him, as he had done this many times in his chemistry class with his web fluid, though this was admittedly much more complex. Still, it had prepared him well for this. 

Finally, it was finished, except that it needed to be refrigerated briefly to have its full effect. Peter sat it in the refrigeration unit they kept in the lab and set the timer for an hour. He hated to wait that long, but he would rather wait a little longer and never have to deal with this again than get to Connors quicker but have the Lizard return in a few months. Plus, it gave him time to put together a couple of other things he needed. 

As Peter was working, his spider-sense went off. It wasn't nearly as intense this time, so it was likely not the Lizard returning; more likely it was just an intruder. He jumped to the ceiling and watched as someone came through the front door. 

"Curt, are you in here?" came the voice of none other than Martha Connors, his wife. When she had fully entered the lab, she gasped. "Curt? Curt, answer me if you're in here!" she yelled.

"Your husband isn't here, I'm afraid" Peter said, letting himself drop to the floor when she turned and looked to him. 

"Spider-Man," Martha said, still on edge, "what are you doing here? Did you do this?" 

"No; well, part of it" he corrected. 

Pulling out a taser from her jacket pocket, she pointed it at him. "Tell me where my husband is, or I swear I'll..."

"I'm trying to help him" Peter said, throwing his hands up. "Your husband was working on an experiment involving the use of Lizard DNA. He was trying to hone its regenerative abilities. Unfortunately, there were some unintended side effects. He's...he's not himself, ma'am. Literally." 

"What are you saying?" she asked, taser still drawn. 

"I'm saying your husband turned himself into a giant lizard." 

"No.." she said, still trying to process all of this. "No, you're lying."

"It's the truth, ma'am." 

"Why should I believe you?"

Peter wasn't sure what to do. He considered disarming her of the taser to prove that he meant no harm, but that still wouldn't prove that he hadn't done harm to her husband. Finally, after racking his brain for what was really only a few seconds, he made a decision he really hoped he wouldn't regret. 

He removed his mask. 

"P..Peter?" she stammered. 

"Yes ma'am; it's me." His decision appeared to work, because she finally lowered the taser. "I came across your husband's notes on his experiments by accident earlier today. He explained his reasons to me, but I still felt on edge about it, so I poured over the notes again at home. When I realized that there was a good chance this could happen, I rushed to get here and stop him, but...I was too late. I'm so sorry Mrs. Connors." 

"None of this is your fault, Peter" she said, coming over and giving him a hug. Peter grimaced noticeably as she did, despite his best intentions to hide it. "I'm sorry; are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, just not feeling the best." There was no way he was telling her that her husband almost made him bleed out to death. 

"The truth is that I had suspected he was up to something, but I never thought it would be anything like this. He had been even more distant than usual recently. I thought he was just working too hard." 

"Yea, me too." 

"What were you doing in here?" she asked, now out of genuine curiosity and not anger. 

"I came back to review your husband's notes and, hopefully, create an antiserum to reverse his condition." 

"Okay, but how do you plan to administer it?" she asked. If he truly is, well, a reptile, you're going to need something to get through his thicker skin."

"I know," he started, walking over to the table he had been working at. "That's why I developed this," he said, grabbing a device that he had made. "Instead of a simple needle, it will put enough pressure that it will be able to break through his skin, injecting antiserum in him. I will still need to administer it where the skin is not as tough, such as his neck. I also grabbed this," he stated, gesturing towards a container of coolant, "to slow him down long enough for me to administer it." 

"Okay, good," she said. Peter noticed that she still looked really shaken and nervous, so he put a hand to her shoulder. 

"I'm getting him back, ma'am" he said with the most confidence he could. 

"Thank you Peter" she said, offering a small smile. "I'm sorry, I'm not doubting you, it's just...of all the reasons I came up with as to why I had not heard from him tonight, this was the furthest thing from that list." 

"I know what you mean" Peter said, offering a gentle smile of his own. 

"I can't say how much I appreciate the effort you are putting in" she said. "Why are you doing all of this for him?" 

Peter pondered her question for a minute before answering: "Ma'am, your husband...he's been very good to me. He not only gave me a chance to get some good experience in before college; he took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew, not just about science, but...about life too. I owe him so much even in the short time that I have known him. He's a good man." 

By now, Peter could see that she was fighting back tears. So many emotions were written on her face: gratitude, hope, and remembrance, but also fear and doubt. "I'm sorry," she said, the tears coming out now, "Everything you said...they're all the reasons I fell in love with him. I don't know what Billy and I will do if..."

"Shhh" Peter said gently as he came in for another hug, though making sure to keep from putting too much pressure on his midsection this time. For a couple minutes, he just held her as she cried. Then he heard the timer he had set go off. The antiserum was ready. 

"Well, I guess that's my cue" he said, going over to the fridge. He grabbed the antiserum and the other materials/devices he needed, webbing them to his side just loose enough where he could get them out when the time came. "Wish me luck" he said, putting his mask back on. 

"Good luck, Spider-Man, and thank you. Be careful." 

"I will." 

After exiting the lab, Peter found the way into the sewers that the Lizard has escaped to after their first skirmish. To this point in his superhero career, he had prided himself on staying above ground, but this was a time where exceptions needed to be made. He grabbed the discarded metal cap to the manhole and held it over his head with his fingertips. He jumped straight in, letting go of the cap to make sure the way in was sealed up once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there! Next chapter will be the final showdown. 
> 
> Thanks to those who have left comments, kudos, etc. I really appreciate it! 
> 
> Once again, stay safe and healthy, and my prayers go out to you all. 
> 
> 1 Corinthians 13:4-7


	10. That's A Long Story, Doc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His spider-sense was finally strong enough to tell him which direction the danger was coming from, so he got into a position where he could swing in from behind his target. He fired his web in advance, ready to swing into action. 
> 
> Finally, the Lizard came out through the tunnel hole about 20 feet below him. Once he was within Peter's ideal web swing trajectory, he kicked off, pulling out the cool gas he was going to use to slow his opponent down. He would then inject the cure and this thing would be over. 
> 
> Then his phone went off.

He had to have been tracking the Lizard for over an hour, but Peter was having no luck. How could he lose something that big? He had gone through every tunnel, every available crevice and open space, but there was no sign of the good doctor's scaly form. He began to fear that his reptilian foe had already abandoned the sewers to seek out prey above ground. Connors' metabolism had to be through the roof in the wake of his transformation, so if he...no, Peter was not going to let himself think that way. He was going to find the doc and cure him before anything like that happened. He had to. 

Another 30 minutes later, still nothing; or had it been 45? Peter was beginning to lose track of both time and where he was. Finally, he settled on a new strategy: let the Lizard come to him. If he was anywhere in the Manhattan sewers with the appetite that Peter had theorized, surely the Lizard would discover his scent, even with all over the other interesting smells in this maze that was New York's underbelly. He came to an open area and picked a spot higher up so that he could see every possible point of entry. Then, he waited. 

It wasn't long before Peter's spider-sense went off. It was strong, but not too strong, so he knew Connors was coming, but was still a distance away. He got into a crouching position so that he would be ready to spring into action; with any luck, he could utilize the crucial element of surprise and this would be over with quickly. His spider-sense was finally strong enough to tell him which direction the danger was coming from, so he got into a position where he could swing in from behind his target. He fired his web in advance, ready to swing into action. 

Finally, the Lizard came out through the tunnel hole about 20 feet below him. Once he was within Peter's ideal web swing trajectory, he kicked off, pulling out the cool gas he was going to use to slow his opponent down. He would then inject the cure and this thing would be over. 

Then his phone went off. 

By the end of the first ring, the Lizard was already swinging his tail in Peter's direction. He barely managed to dodge it, landing on the wall to his left. "Okay, next time maybe I'll try TURNING OFF my phone before a fight" he said out loud, his sarcasm directed to no one but himself. He would look at who was calling him later; he had much more pressing matters to deal with. 

The Lizard immediately jumped towards him and Peter fired a web and pulled himself just over his enemy's reach. He knew he needed to keep a good distance from the creature until he was ready to inject the cure. If he allowed himself to get slammed around by that tail or get pinned down again, the cure would be destroyed. With the coolant still in his hand, he waited for the Lizard to make his next attack. This time, instead of jumping towards him, it began running around the railing to get to him. Peter waited, and, once it got just close enough on his side, he jumped backwards, throwing the coolant at the Lizard. The unit shattered and unleashed a cold gas. The Lizard let out a roar. It was angry, but now it would become slower and slower as the gas set in. Now he just needed to play keep away until the Lizard slowed down enough where he could quickly administer the cure. 

This didn't look to be happening at first, as the creature flew at him in a rage. Thriving off of seemingly nothing but adrenaline, the Lizard continued to attack harder then before. Peter was only barely keeping enough distance between them. For now, he didn't dare say anything to goad the creature even further. If he could time some counter attacks well, he could accelerate the creature's wearing down, which would allow the coolant to finally have its intended affect. When the opportunity came in the form of a missed swing of the tail, Peter fired two webs on either side of the Lizard, pulling himself and slamming his feet into the creature, forcing it to the metal floor beneath them. He immediately sprang to the side, waiting for the next opportunity. 

Again the Lizard lunged at him, this time Peter firing a blinding web shot into its eyes while it was still in the air. He jumped over the creature and fired two web lined into its shoulders, somersaulting and flinging it over his head straight into a nearby wall. 

"Doc, if you can here me, I really am sorry about all of this!" Peter called, almost beginning to feel bad for how this was going. The Lizard took advantage of this moment of sympathy, forcing itself out of the wall and catching Peter off his guard. He managed to jump out of the initial lunge, but again that stupid tail caught him just by the right ankle, slamming him down. Peter had managed to just barely twist himself enough where the cure did not make contact with the ground. His other side would have to be thanked later. 

The creature was coming for him again, but Peter managed to recover and get away. As the Lizard continued to attack, he could finally see the coolant was having its intended effect: it was slowing down. His attacks were coming slower, there wasn't as much power in its jumps, and even its roar was getting weaker. If he could just keep this up a little longer, he would be home free. 

Peter took great caution in staying outside of the range of his tail for the next few minutes, throwing the occasional counter only when there was opportunity. A kick here, a punch there, and finally the time was right. Peter jumped to a spot about 15 feet in front of the Lizard. "Come on, aren't you hungry! Come and get some!" He felt so weird saying something like that to the doc, even if he was quite literally not himself, but it was the first thing he could think of to goad him into jumping over. Must have been from a movie he and Ned watched. 

The Lizard jumped straight towards him, by now with not much motion left, and Peter easily slid his left hand on the creature's neck, pulling himself on to its back and pinning it to the ground. Before the it could use its tail again, he pulled out the device containing the cure and drove it straight into the Lizard's neck. It let out a painful roar and Peter jumped back to a level of the walkway. The creature thrashed about, and he could already see the cure was working: the scales appeared to turn back to human skin and the tail and right arm were both going away. Within a minute, it was not the Lizard lying there on the cold metal, but Dr. Curtis Connors. 

Peter jumped down and came over to the man. Kneeling down, he shook him with his right hand. "Dr. Connors, are you with us?" 

The man's eyes slowly opened. "Sp...Spider-Man? What happened? Where are we?" The doc was still a little delirious. 

"That's a long story, doc" Peter said, maintaining his Spider-Man side to not let the doc know his intern was behind the mask. "Come on, I'll explain on the way." 

Peter waited in the hallway outside of the doc's room. When they got to the surface, he had called in a few favors from his Avengers contacts, eventually getting a room in the newly rebuilt Avengers facility for Connors to be checked on by none other than Dr. Helen Cho. From everything he had been told about her, if anyone could make sure none of the Lizard DNA was left in the man's system, nobody could. Martha was in there too, waiting by the doc's side like the loyal wife she seemed to be. Of course, Peter had contacted M.J. and May to let them know he was okay, and made sure NOT to let Ned know that the timely phone call of his earlier almost got Peter killed. 

Dr. Cho came out of the room. As Peter stood to face her, he saw she was smiling, which filled him with hope. "Is he going to be alright doctor?"

"Yes; the cure you gave him completely removed any trace of reptilian DNA from his system" Dr. Cho said with a beaming smile. "I must say, what you were able to pull off in making that cure was quite impressive; most people in the medical field would even have been at a loss. Well done, Peter. Tony would have been proud of you." 

This made Peter swell with happiness; the thought that Tony would be proud of him. He couldn't help but feel very reassured in hearing that. Tony, Ben...they both would have been proud of him for not giving up. For the first time in a while, Peter felt a real sense of peace. 

"Also, the doctor and his wife want to see you" Dr. Cho added. 

"Okay, thanks" Peter said, turning to open the door into the room. 

"So, my wife tells me that my intern swings around New York City in red and black spandex saving people?" Clearly this ordeal had not damaged Connors' sense of humor too badly. 

Peter let out a little laugh. "Something like that." 

The doc's expression became more serious as he continued, "Peter, I want to say thank you, but...it doesn't feel like enough. Really, I feel like there is something else that I should say: I'm sorry." 

"It's okay Doctor," Peter tried to say reassuringly.

"No, it's not okay," Connors persisted from the hospital style bed he was in. "I was so determined to restore what I had lost that I almost lost what I had in the first place. I ignored the warning signs and the chances of what ended up happening anyway...I should have been smarter. I think you should find a new job, Peter." 

"That's funny, because I was just going to say that I think we'll have some work to do on the lab" Peter said with a smile. 

"Peter,..." 

"Doc, I checked, and there was never a call made into the cops involving the incident at the lab. I called Nick Fury and he told me he would take care of the story behind what happened. It'll take some time, but we can rebuild it, together. 

"Peter why would you want to.."

"We all make mistakes, doctor. Trust me, in the superhero business, I've made some big ones," Peter said, practically cringing about the incidents he mentioned. "Everyone deserves a second chance." 

"I don't know, I think that..." 

Connors was cut off by his wife: "You sure know how to talk your way out of a good thing, don't you?" Her husband smiled at his wife and looked down as if to finally acknowledge defeat. 

"Don't worry, Peter," Martha said, "I'll make sure my husband is ready to go back in no time."

"Thank you ma'am." 

"No Peter, thank you," Martha said with a smile. "You made our family whole again." 

Peter smiled, turned and walked out the door to leave the couple to each other. As he left the building, he thought once more to Mysterio's words: "If you were good enough." This whole thing with the internship had not gone how he planned at all, but when he was needed, he had successfully stepped up. Peter knew he still had much to learn, but he could finally do something he had wanted to do for a few months. 

He could finally let go of Quentin Beck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, finally got to the big battle. I hope you all liked it! The last chapter will tie up some loose ends. 
> 
> Hope everyone is doing well! As usual, stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> John 3:16


	11. You Already Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hated missing school, but he conceded that May had a point. The 12 hours of sleep had allowed his body to handle most of the damage and he felt a lot more like himself now. He helped May and M.J. set the table and they sat down for dinner. 
> 
> "Oh, by the way Peter," M.J. started, "Ned was enthralled when I told him why you were missing school today." 
> 
> Peter let out a small laugh. "I'll bet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I just decided to go ahead and finish it. This is it!

When Peter finally got home, he noticed it was 5:30 in the morning. He barely summoned the energy to set his alarm before falling asleep. When he woke up the net day, it was still 5:30...the next evening. 

He had missed school. 

He got up as quickly as he could from his bed. He was still sore, but his quick healing had already taken care of most of the damage so nothing could be seen from the outside of his fight with the Lizard. He rushed into the kitchen to find May and M.J. there making food. 

"May, why didn't you wake me up for school??" he said. 

"Peter, you needed time to heal" she said in a stern yet soft voice, not even looking away from the food she was making. "When you didn't even budge at your alarm, I called the school and told them you were not feeling well and were staying home for the day. M.J. will share her notes of the classes that you guys have together and you can get the rest when you go back tomorrow." 

He hated missing school, but he conceded that May had a point. The 12 hours of sleep had allowed his body to handle most of the damage and he felt a lot more like himself now. He helped May and M.J. set the table and they sat down for dinner. 

"Oh, by the way Peter," M.J. started, "Ned was enthralled when I told him why you were missing school today." 

Peter let out a small laugh. "I'll bet." 

"That is, until he realized that he probably called you in the middle of the whole thing."

"Oh yea" Peter said, remembering the valuable lesson he learned the night before about shutting off your phone while trying to sneak up on a giant mutant lizard. "Did he say what he was calling about?" 

"He said he wanted to tell you in person, but I kind of put it together when Betty came over and gave him a little kiss on the cheek before lunch was over." 

"M.J.!?" May exclaimed. 

"What? Peter can still act surprised" M.J. said in her defense. Peter just laughed; it was just like his girlfriend to just blurt out things like this. While Ned would do it by accident, she would just do it to spoil someone's good time, though it was never anything of major consequence. 

"Don't worry May, I think I can manage it" he reassured her. They finished their food and May went to her room to let the teenage couple have some time together. They decided to get out the puzzle they had intended to work on before all of this happened. To Peter's surprise, M.J. wasn't in the same competitive mood she had been before. She looked like she was thinking over whether or not to say something. They worked quietly on the puzzle for a while before M.J. finally spoke up.

"Peter, remember how I said my mom did some executive work at Oscorp?" 

"Yea."

"Well, it's more than that. She's...she's Norman Osborn's personal assistant." 

Peter stopped working on the puzzle and turned his complete attention to his girlfriend. "What? That's so awesome M.J!" When she looked down, Peter wondered if his enthusiasm was misplaced. "Or is it?" he asked. 

She looked him directly in his eyes as she answered him. "After my dad died, my mom, she...she became very bitter. When she found out that he was hiring, she found a job she could bury herself into. She always said she was just trying hard to provide for us, but I could tell it was more than that." 

"What do you mean?" Peter asked. 

"She was there for less and less of my birthdays and other important dates. I do believe she is still trying, but...I think she doesn't want to get hurt again. I think that's why I never had much luck getting close to people: I learned it from her." 

"M.J, I'm sorry" Peter said, his voice filled with sympathy. He knew she hated for people to feel sorry for her, but he couldn't help how it came out. 

"Don't be," she said. "It's not your fault. I just...I could never judge her for how she is handling this. I knew she loved dad; the few memories I have of both of them were all positive ones. They were happy. I hope one day I can have more good memories with her."

"You will" Peter reassured her. 

"I envy that about you," she said, looking at him with a smile while shaking her head. "You are always so positive. You lost both your parents, then your uncle, then Tony, yet here you are, going out there and pouring so much of yourself out into the world. I hope one day I can find it in myself to do the same." By now she was looking down, as if afraid to face him. 

"You already are" he said. 

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression. 

"Going to volunteer to those less fortunate; the relationships that you have already built in such a short time. You can relate to people in different ways than I can. Also, I never mentioned that Ned told me that it was your idea to lead you guys away from the rest of the class when Mysterio was attacking London. Your first thought was to protect others by luring the danger away yourself. That makes you a hero in my book." 

M.J. was blushing by now. "He told you about that, huh?" 

"Yep. It's that kind of stuff that inspires me about you, M.J. If you can do all that, I know you can find a way to work things out with your mom." 

"Thank you Peter." 

They leaned across the floor over the partly assembled puzzle for a kiss. For just a moment, all was right. 

Then they heard the sirens. 

Peter gave her a look as if to say "sorry". 

"Go," she said, smiling widely at him. "I'll still be here." 

Peter rushed upstairs to change into his Spider-Man suit. Once he slipped on the mask and made sure all systems were good, he jumped out into the New York evening, ready to tackle whatever was waiting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, ladies and gentleman, here we are: my first completed fanfiction Spider-Man story. Now that it's finished, what did you all think? Your thoughts my help me decide what I want to do next. 
> 
> Happy Easter/Resurrection Sunday to all! Stay safe! 
> 
> Matthew 28:5-7; 18-20

**Author's Note:**

> Here goes nothing! This is my first go at this, so please, anything from praise to constructive criticism of any kind is appreciated, because I want to do this well, and I know for sure that I have a lot of work to do. Thanks in advance, and my prayers go out to you all during this difficult time. 
> 
> John 16:33


End file.
